Pallet construction



March 21, 1950 w. c. GEORGE 2,501,506

PALLET CONSTRUCTION Filed June 13, 1945 Patented Mn. 21, folio PALLET cons'rnoo'riou Walter 0. George, St. Louis, Mo., assignmto Gaylord Container Corporation, St. Louis, M o., a

corporation of Maryland Application June 13, 1945, Serial No. 599,206

This invention relates to platforms orpallets 6 Claims. (01. 248-120) for supporting articles while being moved about on lift trucks and while being stored or shipped. The object of the present invention is to provide a pallet of paper board or the like which is light in weight, simple in construction and inexpensive to manufacture and assemble and has sufflcient strength to resist crushing strains and hard usage and to ailord adequate support for vertical loads on the portions of the pallet between the side margins thereof and the lifting fork when the pallet is elevated thereby. The invention consists in the paper board pallet, and

A in the construction, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, which forms part of this specification and wherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur,

Fig. l is a perspective view of a portable lift truck platform or pallet embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical longitudinal sectional view on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectional view through one of the sill members on the line. 3-4 in Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of said pallet. with portions thereof shown in vertical section; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the reinforcing bars which may be seated within one of the grooves of the upper deck sheet to increase the load supporting capacity thereof.

My portable platform or pallet comprises preformed upper and lower decks l and preformed side and intermediate center sills 2. Each of the decks I is made of a. multiplicity of sheets 3 of solid fiberboard that are cemented or otherwise surface-bonded together to form a multi-ply rectangular sheet that is bent into a continuous series of alternate substantially V-shaped ridges -4 and grooves S that extend crosswise of the sills 2 and are relatively deep and have rounded tops and bottoms. Each of the preformed side and center sills is made up of a multiplicity of vertically disposed corrugated board strips I that are cemented or otherwise surface-bonded together and are die-cut along their upper and lower edges to form thereon a series of alternate i have their ridge-and-groove portions cemented .or otherwise permanently secured to the corresponding rib-and-groove portions of the sill assemblies 2.

The deck sheets i are preferably also additionally secured to the sill members 2 by retaining hoops or bands 9 of wire. that seat in the bottoms of the endmost grooves of said deck sheets and extend along the outer side faces of the outer sill members with their ends twisted together, as at It, on the outer side face of one of said outer sill members. v For heavy loads, the load supporting capacity of the upper deck sheet may be further increased by means of bars ll of wood .or other suitable material of V-shaped crosssection laid in the deck sheet grooves 5 substantially flush with the tops of the ridges 4.

The hereinbefore described portable lift truck platform or pallet is made entirely of paper stock and is thus light in weight, easily handled, simple in construction and inexpensive to manufacture and assemble. The preformed multivply corrugated board sill members are strong and rigid and thus stiffen and strengthen the pallet and enable it to resist the crushing strains to which it is subjected in service; and the ridgeand-groove top .and bottom surfaces may be easily formed by die-cutting the edges of the corrugated board sheets before they are secured together to form said sill members. The deeply corrugated laminated solid fiberboard deck sheets may be easily shaped with corrugated rolls and the ridges and grooves span from sill member to sill member and thus serve to materially increase the load carrying capacity of the portions of the deck sheets therebetween. The spaces between the sill members provide longitudinal openings through the pallet for entry of the elevating fork of a lift truck at either end of the pallet. The cross ridges and grooves of the deck sheets also serve to increase the vertical load supporting capacity of the pallet for loads that are supported thereon between the outer edges thereof and the lift fork when the pallet is lifted thereby. The wire loops that seat in the endmost grooves of the deck sheets serve to prevent the sheets from tearing away from the sills and they also serve to strengthen the pallet. The strength of the upper deck sheet may be further increased by placing the V-shaped bars in the grooves adjacent to and intermediate between the ends of said sheet.

What I claim is:

1. A pallet for a lift truck comprising spaced flangeless sills of rectangular cross-section and a deck supported thereon. each of said sills being made of paper board cut to provide a deck supporting surface with alternate cross ridges and grooves, said deck comprising a sheet of paper board bent to form alternate ridges and grooves that span from sill to sill and-fit the cross ridges and grooves cut in the deck supporting surfaces thereof, and means for securing said deck to said sills.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1, wherein one or more bands tightly encircle said pallet crosswise of said sill and seat in the grooves of said deck.

3. The combination set forth in claim 1, wherein one or more rigid bars snugly fit in and extend the full length of the grooves in said deck with their upper surfaces disposed substantially fiush with the tops of the grooves in said deck.

4. The combination set forth in claim 1, wherein the sills are made up of a multiplicity of vertically disposed corrugated board strips surfacebondccl together and pre-cut along one edge to form the ridge and groove deck supporting surfaces of said sills and said deck is made up of a multiplicity of solid fiberboard sheets surfacebonded together.

5. The. combination set forth in claim 1, wherein the sills are made up of a multiplicity of vertically disposed corrugated board strips surfacebonded together and pre-cut along one edge to 30 2,388,730

form the ridge and groove deck supporting surfaces of said sills. said deck is made up of a multiplicity of solid fiberboard sheets surface-bonded together. and metal bands tightly encircle said pallet crosswise of said sills and seat in the endmost grooves in said deck.

6. The combination set forth in claim 1, wherein the sills are made up of a multiplicityof vertically disposed corrugated board strips surfacebonded together and pre-cut along one edge to form the ridge and groove deck supporting surfaces of said sills, said deck is made up of a multiplicity of solid fiberboard sheets surface-bonded together, bands tightly encircle said pallet crosswise of said sills and seat in the endmost grooves REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES rA'rEm's Number Name Date 1,612,382 Lehman Dec. 28, 192B Fallert Nov. 13, 1945 

